"J" is for Journal / Journaling . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV

"J" is for Journal/Journaling . . .' OK a certain, nameless, Friend suggested to me, and a few other Friends, last Spring that we start/keep a journal . . . a journal about the upcoming Pilgrimage to Ireland/Northern Ireland that we were going on in July. I'm not one to keep a journal or diary or any such thing, not gonna happen. Alright, I gave it a good try . . . I don't even want to tell you how far I got with the whole journal thingy . . . but I didn't get very far.

My Ireland Pilgrimage
Journal

Actually, when I finally found a journal that I liked and bought it, so much time had already gone by. I didn't know where to start or how to start or what to write about . . . I was really confused about this whole journal thing . . .

Finally, I jumped right in . . . but I didn't start with the current day, no not me, that would have been too simple . . . I went back to February 1st. Or back about 6 weeks to the first day that I had read about the Pilgrimage and went from there. So how was I able to go back so far??? Good question . .  . I went back through the 'instant messages' that this Friend and I had shared, along with the emails, other Facebook postings along the way and a few hand written scribbles. Some days I would go though and write two or three weeks of postings at a time . . . but then there'd be a week or maybe more that I wouldn't write a thing. SIGH . . .

I've said it here before; I'm sure more than once along the way in my blog posts, that I'm NOT a writer! I really, strongly dislike writing . . . so, let's not go there.

So, I've tried keeping a journal, didn't work and now, I set-up this blog a year ago, but have only been publishing since June 23, 2013, and this post is my 55th post. Whoda thought? Not me . . . I thought I was going to publish a couple of posts before I went to Ireland, post while I was there and maybe a few right after I returned, 15-20 tops . . . little did I know that I'd still be writing and publishing and blogging my way through the Quaker Alphabet!

I suppose, in a wild and crazy sorta way, my blog has turned into my journal. A journal not just for my eyes to see and read, but an open book of sorts for those who have been lead to it or have somehow stumbled upon it.

But wait a minute . . .

This isn't where I thought this post was going when I first wrote down the idea back in December or January. Back then my thought for blogging about journal/journaling was to write about the journals of early Friends like George Fox . . . Oh well! I also had thoughts of mentioning, so I will . . . because I can, that in some of the Quaker Scouting curricula that we have we suggest to the Young Scouting Friends that they keep a journal, write down their thoughts and answers to the questions in a journal . . . just like the early Friends/Quakers kept journals. WHOOPS, there I go with another plug for Friends Committee on Scouting and our programs . . . I can't help myself! (But if you've missed it before, check us out at www.quakerscouting.org OR on Facebook - look for 'Friends Committee on Scouting' OR you can email me at clerk@quakerscouting.org).

The point here is that many early Friends/Quakers kept journals and these journals are quoted quite often by Friends/Quakers today. Journals were/are important . . . and as I found out it takes a bit of discipline to keep up with one.

Blank pages . . .
so many blank pages

So, my Ireland Pilgrimage journal, well it is what it is . . . in the instant messages, Facebook postings and emails that I shared with Friends, it's not in the pretty green journal that I spent so much time looking for.

Have you ever tried to keep a journal? Was it just ramblings OR did you write about something specific?

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Now it's recipe time! This piece has become a bit of an addiction, thanks to another Friend who happened to have made a comment shortly after I joined this Quaker Alphabet blog challenge . . . so to that Friend . . . thanks! Seriously, this has become an interesting challenge to dig through family recipes and come up with a recipe or two for each letter. These recipes are ones that came to me or my mom through friends and were family favorites! Enjoy . . .

Julia’s Punch

(serves 30)
 

1 small can pineapple juice (it's been a while, but I'm guessing smaller than a 64 ounce can - and this is ready to drink)

6 ounce frozen lemonade

6 ounce frozen orange juice
3 quarts 7-up
1 pint sherbet

Mix altogether, leaving the sherbet in chunks (looks cool to have the sherbet in balls).

Recipe from Julia Sticker, Mother Advisor of St. Joseph Assembly #78 Order of Rainbow for Girls, in South Bend, Indiana - of which I was a member from 8th grade through High School. Rainbow Girls is a Masonic affiliated organization for girls - my father, grandfather and several uncles were members.

 

Joe's Banana Bread
 

Nope, can't just post this one . . . if you want it message me!

This is one that I made for several years for the Annual USFW Bazaar

here at Mooresville Friends, so it's a top secret recipe! Meaning that I may or may not share it with you, even if you ask!


Joe’s Ginger Snaps

(makes 4 dozen cookies)
 

¾ cup margarine

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

¼ cup light molasses

2 cup flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon  ground ginger

dash ground cloves

dash salt

 

Preheat oven to 375˚ F.  Ungreased cookie sheets.

 

Beat margarine and sugar together. Add egg and molasses. Add remaining ingredients and mix together. Make balls the size of walnuts – roll in granulated sugar. Place on cookie sheets.

Bake for 12 minutes.

This recipe came from the Warner family - and it was one their kids used in  4-H. I don't remember, but Joe might have been one of their kids.